Kim Jong Un supported China's idea of a "multipolar world"

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un expressed support for China's aspiration to build a "multipolar world" and called for deepening ties between traditional allies during a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the state news agency reported on Saturday, writes UNN with reference to AP.

Details

During Friday's meeting, Kim said his government would fully support China's efforts to achieve territorial integrity based on the "one China principle," referring to Beijing's official position that Taiwan is an integral part of Chinese territory, KCNA reported.

Kim also outlined North Korea's position on unspecified regional and international issues of "mutual interest" and stated that the sustained development of ties between the two countries has become more important in the current geopolitical environment, KCNA reported.

Wang Yi, on a two-day visit to North Korea, said that relations between the countries are entering a "new phase" after last year's summit between Kim and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Embracing the ideas of a "new Cold War" and a "multipolar world," Kim Jong Un has sought to break out of international isolation and pursue a more assertive foreign policy, expanding ties with governments that are in confrontation with the United States, the publication notes.

Although Russia has been Kim's main foreign policy priority in recent years, sending thousands of troops and large arms supplies to support Russia's war against Ukraine, he has also grown closer to China, North Korea's traditional main ally and economic pillar.

In September, Kim Jong Un joined Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin at a ceremony commemorating World War II in Beijing and held his first summit with Xi Jinping in six years, contributing to his attempts to present North Korea as part of a united front against Washington.

Last month, North Korea and China resumed direct air and passenger rail services, which had been suspended since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

On Thursday, Wang arrived in Pyongyang for his first visit to North Korea in seven years. He previously met with North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui and discussed ways to further cooperation and exchanges, as well as holding "in-depth" talks on international issues, state media of both countries reported.

State media did not mention whether Wang and North Korean officials discussed issues related to the United States or the ongoing war in the Middle East.

Wang's visit to North Korea came before US President Donald Trump's trip to Beijing for a summit with Xi Jinping, postponed to May. Some South Korean officials expressed hope that the meeting between Trump and Xi Jinping could open new diplomatic opportunities in relations with Pyongyang.

Addition

Kim, the publication notes, suspended all meaningful dialogue with the US and South Korea after the failure of his diplomatic relations with Trump in 2019 during the American president's first term. Since then, Kim has taken a hard line on South Korea, which he now calls his "most hostile" adversary, and has rejected US offers to resume talks, calling on Washington to abandon its demand for North Korea's denuclearization as a precondition.